


What I was made for

by MiaCousland



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Babies, Baby Shower, Birth, Daddy Fenris, First Time Parents, Gen, Giving Birth, Hawke baby, Labour, Mommy Hawke, Mummy Hawke, Pain, braxton hicks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-23
Updated: 2015-08-23
Packaged: 2018-04-16 21:49:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4641426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiaCousland/pseuds/MiaCousland
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hawke and Fenris' child is brought into the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What I was made for

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of my larger story Steel and Shadow but I was really pleased with this one and wanted to post it as a standalone story. I have become obsessed with getting birthing stories to have at least a degree of realism, rather than just standard cliches. If you like it, let me know! And check out my other stories!

I was crying. Tears of laughter were genuinely dripping down my face. If only Thedas knew that right at this moment, the leader of the Inquisition's armed forces was blindfolded and trying to put a nappy onto a small doll, the Mage-Templar war would fade into insignificance. He was racing against Cassandra - a Seeker and possibly the next Divine - who seemed to be getting more and more frustrated by the second. Cullen was trying his hardest to think rationally and be logical about the construction of the thing, but from the profanities coming from the Seeker on the other side of the table, it was not going so well.

"Five, four, three, two, one ... and stop!" called Eleanor who also could not stop giggling.

Both combatants stopped and ripped off their blindfolds.

"What?!" cried Cassandra who had managed to put the nappy on around one leg only. Very securely fastened, but still only one leg. "This is preposterous!"  
"Come on, Cassandra. At least yours stays on." laughed Eleanor. She picked up Cullen's doll and it very quickly lost the loosely tied cloth, causing him to chuckle a little. He also blushed slightly but she leaned down to kiss him lightly on the lips, before standing back up and tenderly mussing his hair. He pulled her back quickly to sit on his lap, causing her to yelp, and his strong arms kept her in place. The two looked idyllically happy.  
"I was not prepared for what the game entailed." Cassandra replied very seriously, making excuses and trying not to look so unimpressed. She was angry with herself but still not prepared to ruin the party.  
"It's only a game, Cassandra. Yours is strong and well structured."  
"And on one leg!"

I wiped away tears of laughter as the conversation descended into gentle teasing, which caused Cassandra's cheeks to redden ever further. Eleanor had thrown a small party in honour of the impending birth. Everyone of importance had been invited. Iron Bull and Blackwall had excused themselves. They were very polite but had confessed that they would not be of much use in a party such as was there. Solas had also given his congratulations but had not shown up. I didn't mind as I did not want anyone to be uncomfortable on my part. She had heard about the custom from somewhere and bounced up to me very excitedly one day, begging me to allow her to hold one. I had consented after much beseeching and indeed I was glad she had done so. There was much seriousness afoot. Building up in the south was the whole world of shit that was the Corypheus mess. Very definitely I could not go and help so had been confined to Skyhold, helping where I could. Strategy and such like, until my midwife had practically forbade me to even move. Apparently I had shown some signs of 'something nasty' so I had had to stop. Fenris stayed on in his role helping to train troops and even ran very successful campaigns against Avvar tribes in the Frostbacks. However, as the birth was drawing near, he had requested that he stay in the castle until after the baby had been born. Eleanor had granted this without question and with a lot of blessing. Both of us could see just how much joy she was taking from the whole thing. She had to deal with so much shit that to have something infinitely more positive to look forward to was keeping her going at one point.

The muscles in my belly tightened and instinctively I held my breath. By now, I was having these practice contractions several times a day. Being used to it, I wasn't worried. _Just keep breathing_ , I forced my mind to say. Letting out the air and shifting in my seat caused the pain to subside and I smiled again. Fenris placed a hand on my arm and glanced over to ask if I was okay. By now, he was as used to them as I was. This one was perhaps slightly more uncomfortable but I wasn't worried in any way. I blew him a kiss to alleviate his concern and turned back to where the Inquisitor was now stood in the middle of the room.

"Now!" Eleanor announced, holding her hands out and bringing a hush to the lively conversation that had taken the room. "We come to the end of the evening. I would like to thank Josephine for graciously following orders and letting us use her office again."

I smiled warmly at the Antivan who sat across from me. She and I had worked a long way towards becoming friends and, whilst not all the way there, we were now happy in each other's presence. Tonight she was smiling and laughing a lot and I felt very grateful towards her.

"I hope you've enjoyed yourself, Anna? Fenris?"  
"You have all been very kind. It's not often you are so happy to feel so fat." I smirked.  
"Okay, now we have one more present that we'd be very happy if you'd accept?" I nodded eagerly as she looked at me, her large, green eyes hopeful and expectant. "Yay!" she cried, jumping slightly on the spot happily. "Please both close your eyes!" came the command.

We did so, at least I did. I assumed Fenris had done the same. I could hear some shuffling and grunting as if someone was carrying something heavy. My brow crinkled as I wondered what it was. A huge cake flittered through my mind briefly but I smirked and pushed it aside. Eleanor's whispered voice jittered as she gave out orders that were brief and friendly, but worried that something would break. For the life of me, I could not work out what it was but I was very eager to see it.

"Okay, you can open your eyes!"

I did so, and gasped before breaking out in a wide, grateful smile. Before me stood a cradle made from dark wood, wide and elegant, with carvings of animals and flowers all along the head and feet boards. As quickly as I could, I stood to have a closer look, pushing myself up in a very ungainly manner and waddling over. My fingers ran over the smooth wood and I walked around the magnificent creation. It was perfect! A white cotton sheet covered what looked like a soft mattress for the baby to sleep on. A blanket knitted from different squares in various colours lay folded up perfectly at the foot of the bed. I stood and stared at the whole thing. I had already fallen in love with it.

"Well?" came the prompt, lifting me from my daydreams.  
"It is more glorious than I could have imagined." I said softly. "Thank you all so much."

I turned to give Eleanor a huge hug, prompting an embarrassing round of applause from those gathered. As her arms wrapped around me, I winced for another contraction had taken my stomach. A hiss of breath was sucked in through my teeth.

"Are you okay?" she whispered concernedly, her words covered by the clapping still going on.  
"Please don't say anything. I don't want anyone to worry." I begged before withdrawing from her and looking to all my other friends, ignoring the uneasy look that had briefly clouded her face.  
"Speech!" roared Varric as he raised a beer tankard to me.

The din died down as they all turned to face me. It was clear from their happy faces that they were oblivious of the pain that I had felt. The closeness to the other had me a little concerned but I pushed it to the back of my mind.

"Thank you all so much. This little party has really made me feel like part of the team. All these gifts and tokens, and games and food? It's been so much fun. I thank you. For not only taking us in when we needed you, but for allowing us to help, providing shelter, work, everything; it has shown just what graceful and magnanimous people run this show. Years ago, when I was running about Kirkwall trying to help a dwarf called Anso, I never realised that all this time later the man I met that night would be with me all this time. Before I thank anyone else, I have to say something to him. Fenris?"

I turned to him but could only feel that emotion was making my throat dry. He sat there patiently, a warm smile on his face, on the edge of his seat ready to come to my side if I needed him.

"I cannot do this without you, amatus. I have said this time and time again - you will be the perfect father to this baby."

The queasy feeling of too much mushiness was rising within me. I could feel my face break into a smile.

"Anyway, I have a reputation to uphold so if anyone repeats what I have just said, I will break you. And if you'll excuse me, I am going to retire from this party now and shuffle off to bed. Thank you so much."

Another kind clap echoed around the room and people gathered broke into small pockets of conversation with their neighbours. The evening had come to a natural stop anyway and I could see that different people stood and gathered their things as they talked. Eleanor strode over to stand next to me again.

"I will have castle staff move this to your rooms soon."

She gave me another hug and I took the opportunity to whisper into her ear. "Please could you have someone fetch Ruth for me? Let her meet me at my rooms. Subtly, Eleanor, please."

The birth was enough of a weight on my mind that I did not want the bullshit of a gossip circus, with news that I was in labour rocketing around Thedas. This was what the anxiety in my head was saying anyway; that I would be under a spotlight once news got out. If I could get back to my rooms and shut the doors then I could pretend that everything else didn't exist. I was fairly convinced that she would tell me nothing would happen anyway but something at the back of my mind told me this was different. Bowing my head to people, but refraining from engaging in conversation, I headed for the door. Fenris joined me quickly and we walked off into the night air together. It was spring and the mountains were not as unforgiving as they had been over winter. Across the courtyard, I could feel something gathering in the low of my back but I was determined and walked on. Another small contraction took me but I gritted my teeth and walked on. Something was very definitely happening with the baby. By now there had been three in past half an hour. Much more often than my body had been practising with before now. My stride slowed but didn't break.

"Anna?" came the growl.  
"Just, keep, walking." I strained.

Within seconds it had finished anyway - in line with the others - but I knew, somehow I knew, that this was different. I had grown used to taking stairs slowly, ungracefully climbing them one at a time and pausing for many breaths. I didn't know how big this baby would be but I was sure that I had no lungs left with which to breathe. Eventually Fenris and I reached our rooms and I walked straight into the adjoining garderobe that we used for our toilette. I couldn't help myself but I had felt all evening like I needed to relieve myself quite forcefully. My body duly obliged as soon as I sat down and all manner of nastiness fell away down the side of the mountain.

"Anna?" Fenris asked again from outside the door. "Is everything okay?"

I tried to clean myself as best I could and waddled back to the fireplace chair, almost blanking him in my eagerness to sit down. My eyes drooped as I rested my elbow on the arm and tapped the pads of my fingers on my face. He joined me, silently sitting across the carpet from me. The only way I knew he was nearby was the soft scrape of the chair as he dragged it nearer to me. Again the room descended into quiet.

"It's time, isn't it?"

The low, deep voice that I loved so much carried so much pressure without meaning to that my racing heart and fearful brain caused me to break down into tears. My body knew that the time had come and the anxiety I had felt mounting up over the past few weeks, indeed months, was coming out. Within moments, he was kneeling in front of me, tenderly grasping my hand with one of his and stroking my shoulder with the other.

"I'm so scared, Fenris." I whispered.  
"Only because this is what you don't know. Fear of the unknown is everyone's undoing, from time long ago to when the world ends."

I brushed tears away with my thumb. My lips trembled as I stared at the fire, desperate not to catch his eye. I felt like I was letting him down.

"What if I can't do this?"  
"You can. Of course you can. You are Hawke, Champion of Kirkwall, defender of mages everywhere. You are my wife and the strongest woman I have ever known. I love you and I have faith that you can do this."

He lifted the hand he was delicately holding and kissed the backs of my fingers before moving forward to kiss my lips. Tears mingled into his mouth but as he drew back, his eyes caught mine. He was with me, I knew, come what may. He had the strength; I just wasn't sure I did.

A gentle knock at the door interrupted us. With an apologetic smile, he rose and walked over. Even before I saw her, I could tell Ruth had walked into the room. It was something in the calming aroma of the herbs she used, or the slow manner in which she walked. It was as if she could drain all the craziness with one smile. I needed her right now. She stopped next to the chair and looked down at me. I took one look at her patient, inquisitive smile and smirked back up at her, or tried to anyway. With the serene way she had, she ran her hand over my head, smoothing back my hair and soothing me. Her skin was cold, much like my mother's had been. That link, that was all I needed. Ruth couldn't have known that my own mother had done that many a time when I was upset.

"You can do this." she breathed quietly.  
"What do I need to do?"  
"First you need to tell me what has been happening."  
"Two contractions in the past half an hour, both different from the practice ones. Please believe me, I can just tell."  
"I've learned to trust women in labour. They just know." she smiled. "What else?"  
"I've just emptied my bowels, or what it felt like." I told her, blushing.

Again the knowing smile as she sat down opposite me. Fenris took up his place on the seat next to me.

"That happens as well. Have you had any water running down your leg? Feeling like you've just weed yourself?" A shake of the head from me. What the fuck? Was that to come? More indignity? "Well, it seems to me you probably are in the early stages, but it is only the _early_ stages. Now we've talked about pain relief. I can fetch a mage if you want to?"  
"No, I don't want that. I want to do this as natural as possible."  
"Okay, that's what I thought we'd agreed."

Another contraction stole over my stomach, starting at the base of my spine and stealing upwards like a painful wave.

"Breathe." came the patient reminder. I forced myself to breathe out slowly, just as she had shown me before today. Another knock at the door took Fenris briefly from me but he came back soon after the contraction had finished. Ruth had been breathing with me through the pain.  
"That was Eleanor. She wanted to make sure everything was alright. She's posted a runner downstairs, just in case you want something. So we don't have to use the bell system."  
"A runner?"  
"Yes, you know her. Wears a lot of purple." he smiled. I grinned when I realised who it was.  
"Does she not have anything else to do?"  
"Apparently not."

I turned back to Ruth.

"So?"  
"I don't think we need to worry for the moment. They are, what, ten minutes apart? Fifteen? I'm going to leave you with this clock ..."  
"Leave me?" I cried, rising slightly from the chair but regretting it almost instantly.  
"Yes, but you will be okay. It will make you worse if I sit in the corner. In my experience, it is better for the woman to prowl round the room, control the environment. If the midwife is there, it serves to heighten her anxiety, especially if it is her first."  
"Okay. When do we get you back?" I asked nervously.  
"When they are roughly five minutes apart. I have to warn you, it may take all night. Or it may be in the next hour."

I nodded silently. Even in my predicament, I could see her reasoning.

"You'll be fine. You and Fenris have sat and asked me enough questions over the past few months. You know what you have to do. It's just the panic and the uncertainty. I'll only be in the Herald's Rest."

She got up again and handed a small clock to my elf before walking to the door with him. I could hear the two of them whispering. He returned to me presently with a smile.

"Tea?"

It took eight fucking hours for the contractions to even move near to five minutes. Ruth had checked back on me before going to her rooms to sleep. Dorian had relieved Leliana downstairs, or so Fenris told me, and apparently was pleasantly asleep in one of the chairs. I had paced around the room, tidied the drawers in my dresser, instructed Fenris on where to put the furniture that had been next to the bed. I wanted that beautiful cot to go there, right next to me so I could hear the baby in the night if it needed me. With the furniture moved, I could see that it needed cleaning so down I got on my hands on knees. In between the gritting of teeth and profuse swearing, of course. When the dawn had started to break, I had insisted Fenris lay down and try to get some sleep. It was pointless us both being awake and I could see how tired he was, but how much he was ignoring it.

The contractions had swung between six minutes apart, to twenty, to fifteen, to eight, but right now - in the past half hour - they had finally moved to regularly five minutes apart. I was coping better than I had expected. Now I knew when they would roughly come then I knew how to cope with them. That gave me confidence but they were also gathering in pain. Fenris snored lightly next to me but he awoke with a sleepy jolt when he felt me poke him.

"Go and get her. I need her now." were the only instructions I gave him.

Only two contractions had passed before she was stood next to me.

"You're looking so much better than when I last saw you. You can do this."  
"Yep, I'm feeling a little bit more positive. Even though it fucking hurts." Ruth smiled knowingly at me as I got up from the bed. "Walking is helping a little actually."  
"Good. Do more of that then. Do whatever your body wants you to do. I'm going to be right here now until the baby comes. I just need to sort out the little bundle that I've brought with me. You do what you need to and I'll do what I need to. We'll meet in a bit when you need me."

Over the next hour, the contractions became stronger. It wasn't with a huge kick that they changed but after an hour, I realised that I was needing to focus just that little bit more on the breathing. However it was getting to the point where even that wasn't helping.

"Owwww ..." I moaned through pursed lips. "Owwww-owwww ..."

I was hanging onto the back of one of the armchairs and leaning forward, burying my head as I breathed like I had been doing all along. Fenris' warm hand rubbed my back slowly and lovingly. I had ditched my dress, along with most of my clothes. I couldn't give a fuck though. The pain from my stomach muscles squeezing tightly together drove all pain from my mind. "They're lasting longer, Ruth." I winced as I looked up to a husband that by now was as aware of what my body was doing as I was, or so it seemed.  
"Can I get you anything?" he said as calmly as he could. I could see from the look in his eyes that he was apprehensive as to how this was affecting me. Silently I shook my head. I had been sipping water all the time. When food had been brought, it had stayed on the table where it had been placed. It turned my stomach to even think of eating.  
"Ohhhh...." I started as another wave took me. Much as I tried, the breathing wasn't helping with the pain any more and my voice dissolved into tiny tears, cut through by the slicing agony that was wrapping around me inescapably. "Fenris, Fenris. This is too much." I cowered, shivering with the pain. My fingers dug into the softness of the chair but I could see that my knuckles were turning white. "I can't do this."  
"You can, Hawke. I know you can."  
"I can't." came the sobs.  
"Amata, this is not going to last forever." he spoke, as calmly as he could.  
"It fucking seems like iiiiiiitttt ... arrghhh!"

With the end of the contraction, my breath returned to me and I panted, trying desperately to draw in air before the next one started. Turning to Ruth, I stared at her.

"What potions did you bring?"  
"All of them. They are as I discussed with you. All will have their benefits, but their drawbacks too."  
"I need something. Please."  
"Okay, try this one then. It is a special one that I have made, working with a potion brewer that I know. He is the best. It will take the edge off just enough."

She unstoppered one of the bottles from the desk that she had set up, and proffered it to me. I grabbed it and quickly brought it to my lips. The taste of lemon sang down my throat and almost immediately I could sense the change. Another contraction started to take over and I could feel the same intense pull inwards. However, at the height of them, the edge had been taken off. It was enough.

"I think we need to get you onto the bed now, Anna. That is still what you want, right?"  
"Can I stay here for a little long ... " A snarl erupted from my mouth as another wave of pain hit me. The potion stayed true and I was more than grateful for that little bit of fight it had given back to me. Shakily I tried breathing as Ruth had taught me again, and found it actually was helping again.  
"You can do whatever you want."  
"Arrrrrrggh..." I cried out into the room. Like when I fought, the shouting took the pain away momentarily and gave me something else to focus on.

I felt so removed from all this. A sense of disassociation had stolen over me without me realising it. My body was operating completely independently of what I wanted it to do. I felt like a passenger in all of this, so under my own body's spell was I. _Well_ , I thought, _I can either fight this or go with it_. Through gritted teeth, I tried to smile up at Fenris who I had gripped onto. I hugged him as closely as the huge stomach would let me. His warm arms held me closely as I cried out into his neck. But this one was different. Deep inside me, my body felt like it was closing into a tube. Muscles that I didn't even know I had squeezed downwards. There was something there, something stopping me being able to close my legs. Something massive.

"Maker," I wheezed, crying out to Ruth, "something new is happening!"  
"Okay, what is it?"  
"I feel like my body wants to push."  
"That's perfectly normal for now. This is important though, Anna. You are entering the last stages of labour. You're going to need to push this baby out now. You're ready. Where do you want to do it?"

My legs were fucked from standing for so long and the soft pile of pillows that Fenris had stacked looked like the softest of clouds right now.

"On the bed." I whimpered.  
"Let's get you on it then. Fenris?"

Both of them helped me across to the bed to where she had laid blankets across the sheets. I grabbed onto them and held on for dear life. The quilt had been moved earlier in the night to make way for when I needed it. Slowly, I moved to stand next to it and clung to the wooden frame, sure that my knuckles were going to make a dent.

"We need to take the rest of your clothes off now, Anna. Is that okay?"

With a grimace, I nodded. Somehow they were slid off and I found that I was naked. There was no time to focus on it though. Awkwardly, I climbed up onto the bed. Being on all fours helped a little and stayed there for a few minutes. Another contraction had my body pressing everything down towards my arse.

"Maker!" Ruth laughed as water came exploding out of my vagina, smiling as she did so. Turning over to lay down, I smiled back at her, even through the pain.  
"My waters, right? Is this what you mean?"  
"Yes. That was they."

Laying down on my back, I could feel every single, damned part of my back wracked with agony. I half-sat, half-lay on the pillows, gripping onto the sheets for dear life.

"No, these pillows need to go! Now!" I shouted, angry that they were there in the first place.

Hastily Fenris swung up and pushed them out of the way. Softly they fell to the floor. I couldn't give another fuck as I fell back to the bed. Ruth took up her place at the bottom of the bed, sat on the side and watching what was happening with this baby.

"Anna, when the next contraction comes, you have to push. No matter how long. Okay?"  
"I'll try. Here it ... comes."

_Push, push, push, push, push, push, push_ , I shouted at myself. As the wave ended, I roared to the ceiling. A stone rosette sat in the middle of the ceiling and I focused on that. Another wave was coming soon, and again I fell into the world of agony.

"Push!" Ruth cried. "You're doing really well here, Anna. Keep going. Push! That's great!"

Catching my breath, I smirked up at Fenris who beamed down at me.

"You're doing fabulously."

I barely heard the end of it as another contraction came. Another roar echoed to the ceiling, bouncing off of the stone. Teeth bared, I lay back. I felt powerful, regal even. Here I was, clothed in nothing but sweat, bringing this tiny baby out into the world. This was what I was made for.

"I can see the baby's head now." Ruth proclaimed proudly. See it? Fucking fabulous! I could _feel_ the massive rock that was making it's way out of my body!

A burning, roaring sensation was building up between my legs. It was all the pain I had felt so far, pressed down into one ring of fire. Intense, focused, severe. With a sudden break in the pain, I felt a spike of agony.

"What has happened?"  
"The baby's head is out." Ruth explained quickly. As I watched her, she never lost her calm sense of peace but she was indeed moving round a lot quicker. "Anna, the baby's cord is wrapped around it's neck."  
"WHAT?" I screamed, imagining the worst. Panic rose in me, almost strangling the life from my throat.  
"It's okay but just don't push. Give me a moment ... and done. Everything is now fine for the final few tries. Fenris, would you like to see it?"  
"See what?" he asked naively. I almost laughed at him, swinging my hand to bat his arm.  
"The baby, you fucking idiot!" I panted.

He stood up, unaware of how quickly he was moving and looked to what was going on, never once letting go of my hand. His face stopped and I think he even couldn't breathe as he looked at my vagina, so open and exposed to the world. His mouth dropped open and he looked up at me. To the end of my days, I would never forget how proud he looked, and how surprised. Floating back, he could barely talk.

"Anna, how ... ?"  
"Fenris, can you see it?" I cried out. He nodded mutely, returning to my side. Fenris couldn't say anything but pressed his warm lips to my forehead in a primal display of affection before returning to sit next to me.  
"Anna Hawke, only a few more pushes and this baby will be out." Ruth's voice cut through everything again. "When the baby is here, I'm going to make sure it's okay and then put it straight onto your chest like you asked for. Is that still what you want?"  
"Yes, but I want Fenris to tell me what sex the baby is."  
"If that is what you want?"

Ruth spoke with cool composure, telling what was happening but never forcing me. Pressing my lips together, and feeling tears of pride surfacing, I grabbed hold of my husband's hand as I nodded at her. A telltale wave of pain caught me and I readied myself, pushing against the blockage that was keeping my legs apart.

"Push, push, push, push! " Ruth commanded, staring hawk-like at the baby's head. That contraction ended but another was almost on top of it. Again I gritted my teeth and pushed for all I was worth. With a sudden release, there was a rush of what felt like hard water run out of my vagina. A waterfall of flesh and liquid gushed out onto the bed. "The baby is here!"

My breath surged back to me. Blood rushed to my head and my ears. All I could possibly think of now was knowing the baby was okay. Ruth was busy

"Fenris, what is it?" I cried, staring up at him.

Looking up at me from the mass of beauty and love that Ruth was rubbing with a towel she had procured from nowhere, he turned to me and spoke, not even believing what was in front of us. Beaming at what he could see, he kissed me. A kiss so deep and wonderful and true. His green eyes, wide with love and already full of adoration, shone at me.

"Anna, it's a girl."  
"A girl?" I cried. Wave after wave of pride at what I had achieved crashed through my system. The pain, already forgotten, spasmed down below. I didn't care.  
"Are you ready?" Ruth asked.

With a nod, I waited for the moment that I had spent a lifetime waiting for. I didn't know what to expect. I knew what babies looked like - I could just about remember the twins arriving in our house. But my own baby? My own flesh and blood? This was something I just couldn't comprehend. Even though I had just pushed her out of my body, I wasn't ready. I didn't feel like I would ever be ready. But I wanted it. With a nod, Ruth simply lifted a small ball of purple and white, wriggling and wrinkled, and placed her onto my chest.

I saw her.

My world stopped, although it felt as if it had only just started. She was here, as if she had always been here. The wet skin, soft as the purest of velvets, felt as glorious as any of the finest silks. Tears poured down my face as the squirming mass of baby lifted her bobbing head off my chest, trying to find me. Somehow I just knew it. A squawk, as distinct and unmistakable as any sound I had ever known, shot through the air, followed by another pitiful cry. Without thinking, I lifted her nearer to my face and kissed the top of her head, speaking softly to her. Resting her head between my breasts, I asked Fenris to fetch a blanket. Within moments, my baby was nestled and warm.

I couldn't take my eyes from her.

"Do you have a name?" Ruth asked, reminding me that someone else was in the room.

Nodding, I finally looked up at Fenris who seemed to glow as he stared at his child. His eyes were bound to her, hardly looking away.

"Fenris?" I asked softly. "That name you told me is perfect. It's just ... her."

Unable to talk, and unwilling to remove his gaze from the new core of wonder in his life, he simply nodded. A smile so broad and noble engaged his face like no other I had seen. He simply shone.

"Adelas." he breathed. "My daughter."


End file.
